As is well known in the art, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is a low power device in which material in liquid suspension is aligned by the influence of an applied voltage. In most cases the material operates similar to a light switch or gate to block the passage of light through the device or to allow it to pass. A number of devices are combined to form alphanumeric characters and a number of alphanumeric characters are combined to form a display unit. Generally a light source is mounted behind the unit so as to direct light through the unit to provide the correct illumination. Several problems arise from this configuration.
The light source and LCD unit are generally combined in such a way as to allow the accumulation of dust and dirt therebetween. This accumulated dust will substantially lower the illumination, and the efficiency, of the display. Further, the light source is generally situated to emit light directly through the LCD unit, which produces variations in light intensity across the display. These variations in light intensity are referred to in the art as "hot spots", and are reduced by painting and the like to diffuse the light more evenly. Such painting requires much additional work and is highly susceptible to scratches or uneven coatings of paint. Finally, LCD units are susceptible to breakage in electronics equipment and especially in portable equipment, such as pagers, portable radios and telephones.